Chlorophyll fluorescence as a light signal enhances iron uptake by the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum under high-cell density conditions.

This study shows that chlorophyll fluorescence derived from neighboring cells is able to upregulate ISIP2a and ISIP1 expression to facilitate iron assimilation under high-cell density. These results provide novel insights into biotic signal sensing in phytoplankton, which can help to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of marine diatom blooms.